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MEM OR AN DA 

OF THE LATE Ml Mil OF HONOB 

HETWKKN 

HON. T. L. CLINGMAN, 

t * 
OF 

NORTH CAROLINA, 

AND 

HON. WILLIAM L. YANCEY, 



(IF 



ALABAMA. 



■-& 









House op Representatives, 

February 13, 1845. 
So many demands have been made by my friends for copies of the correspon- 
dence between Mr. Clingman and myself, pending the late difficulty between 
us, and of the basis of the settlement of the affair, that I have thought it best 
to print^the following memoranda for private circulation among them. 

W. L. YANCEY. 



MEMO RAX DA 



Washington, Orrr f January 16, 184.5. 

Wkdnbhiuy KvK.MN(i, .Ian. 8. — About eight o'clock, p. m. met Mr. Yancey 
near the gate of the Capitol grounds, Oil Pennsylvania Avenue. He told me that 
he had just left the Hon. A. Burt at Tyler's Hotel, with whom he had I n hold- 
ing some conversation relative to a pending difficulty between Mi - . Clingman 
and himself; and requested me to call and see Mr. Burt upon the matter. 

THURSDAY, the i)th. — In the morning sent a note to Mr. Burt, informing him 
of Mr. Yancey's request, and expressing my readiness to serve him in any way 
in my power. Mr. B called upon me immediately, and requested me to see Mr • 
Y. with him. I did so ; and eventually the duty of acting as Mr Y's friend de- 
volved upon me. I then saw for the tirst time, the following note, whiVh Mr, 
Clingman had addressed to Mr. Yancey, and Mr. Y's reply: 

Mr. Clingman to Mr. ) 'an cry. 

House of Rki-keskntatives, Jan. 7, 1845. 

Sir: In the course of your remarks to-day, you declared that you wished to 
have nothing to say with one possessed of the head and heart of the gentleman 
from North Carolina, alluding, as I understand, to me, personally. 

I desire to know of you, whether, by the use of that expression , you intended 
towards me, personally, any disrespect, or to be understood that I was deficient 
in integrity, honor, or any other quality requisite to the character of a gentle- 
man I have the honor to be, sir, 
Hon. W. L. Yancey. (Signed.) T. L. CLINGMAN. 

Mr. Yancey to Mr. Clingman. 

Hocse of Representatives, Jan. 8 1845. 
Sir: I do not recognize as mine the language attributed tome in your note of 
yesterday. I send you, extracted from the Globe of the 7th. with my correc- 
tions, an accurate report of my words in reference to yourself.* <M" the lan- 
guage I did use, or of my motives, I have no explanations to make. 

(Signed.) W.L. YANCEY. 

Hon. T. L. Ct.in<;man. 

•The remarks which were enclosed, have been so generally circulated, that it 
is deemed unnecessary to reprint them here. At that interview, too, Mr. Burt 
showed me a note from Mr. Clingman to him, informing Mr. B. that he was 
about leaving for Baltimore, and wished Mr. B. to inform Mr. Y. that he did 
not intend to let the "discussion stop where it was 






4 

Mr Yancey and I left for Baltimore in the evening train of cars, where we 
arrived at 8 o'clock p m, and took lodgings at the Exchange Hotel. 

Friday the 10th.— About 10 o'clock, a. m I received a note addressed to me 
bv the Hon. Mr. Causin of Maryland, informing me that a friend of Mr Cling- 
man would wait upon me at 12 o'clock, m At that hour, Mr. Charles Lee 
Jones of Washington city, called upon me, and delivered a note, of which the 
following is a copy: 

Mr. Clingman to Mr. Yancey \ 

January 10th, 1845. 
Sir- The language furnished me as having been used by you, being different 
from that attributed to you in my first note I deem it proper to inquire if I am 
to understand you as having finally declined to give me any satisfactory ex- 
nlnnntion of it Your obedient servant, 

Hon W I ?. Yancey. (Signed ) T. L. CLINGMAN. 

At 2 o'clock p m, I waited upon Mr. Jones with the reply of Mr. Yancey, of 
which the following is a copy : 

Mr. Yancey to Mr. Clingman. 

January 10th, 1845. 

Sir • The language of your note of to-day appears to me to be indefinite. My 
note of the 8th corrects the misapprehension under which you seem to labor in 
attributing to me language different from that [which] was really used by me 
in the political discussion which took place in the House of Representatives on 
the 7th. and for which you desired an explanation 

That von might be put in possession of my remarks as regarded yourself, at 
the earliest possible moment, I enclosed in my note of the 8th a corrected copy. 
I deem any explanation superflous. 

Your obedient servant. 
Hon. T. L. Clingman. (Signed.) W. L. YANCEY. 

At 5 o'clock p m, Mr. Jones handed me a note of which the following is a 
copy: 

Baltimore, January 10, 1845. 
Sir- I am happy to perceive in your reply to my note of this date, what ap- 
nears'to be a disposition for an amicable adjustment of the difficulty between 
us I presume that you will now state whether, in the report of your speech, as 
furnished bv you to me, you intended any personal disrespect, or to intimate 
that I was deficient in integrity, honor, or any other quality requisite to the 
character of a gentleman. 

Your obedient servant, 
Hon. W. L. Yancey Signed.) T. L. CLINGMAN. 

At 11 o'clock p m, I delivered to Mr. Jones Mr. Y's reply, of which the fol- 
lowing is a copy: 



Mr. Yancey to Mr. Clingman. 

JaJTOABI I". 1846, 1<» o'clock, r. m. 

Bib: In reply to your note ol this afternoon, suggesting thai I might mm n-- 
s|ioiul to the inquiry which you Bubstantially made in your note oi the 7th in^t . 
1 have to Bay, thai a perusal of the remarks, which I furnished you on the Hth, 
will enable you to determine whether they impute to you "any deficiency In in- 
tegrity, honor, or any other quality requisite to the character of a gentleman," 
or w hot her they characterize your conducl a> a Representative in Congress ; and 

I must repeat in relation to them thai I deem any explanation superfluous. 

Your obedienl sevant, 
Hon. Mr. Oungman. (Signed) W. L. YAMKY. 

.Mr. Jones felt that this must close the affair. Consulting freely with eaeh 

i)t her, and mutually unwilling todose the door to all accommodation, Mr. Jones 

advised the suspending of Mr, Y.'s last note until morning at B o'clock, to 
which I acceded with great pleasure, as we both yet cherished the hope that a 
plan might be laid to avoid a hostile meeting. 

Saturday, the 11th. — Went to Barnum's at 10 o'clock, (there having been a 
misapprehension as to the hour.) and found Mr. Jones expecting me. On re- 
viewing our positions, w e found it impossible todo any thing towards adjusting 
the affair amicably, without the withdrawal of t he whole correspondence. \Ye 
finally agreed to suspend it ; and sat down and drew up what we supposed could 
be subscribed by our mutual principals Mr. Jones opened the correspondence 
thus: 

Baltimore, January 11, ls4.">. 
Sir: It being intimated that the first note from Mr. Yancey in reply to Mr. 
Clingman [passed before we were connected with the affair] may be in the way 
of an amicable arrangement of the difficulty between those gentlemen. I would 
suggest the withdrawal of that note, and to let it be considered as never having 
been in existence. Most respectfully, your obedient servant. 

(Signed.) OHAS. LEE JONES. 

Hon. Mr. Huger. 

I replied as follows : 

Saturday Morning, Jan. 11, 1845. 
Sir: I join with you most cheerfully in a desire to have the matter pending 
between our friends adjusted amicably. Thedifficulty rests on that part of the 
correspondence which took place before we were brought into the matter. I 
now meet your suggestion, by offering one in return ; that the whole correspon- 
dence drop, and we begin d* novo; hoping thereby that we may be able to place 
our friends in BUCh position, as may Bpeedily lead to a friendly settlement of the 
difficulty. The lasi portion of the correspondence, arising, entirely, out of the 
notes, they being removed, the whole appears to be unnecessary, and may 
as well follow. Mosl respectfully, your obedienl servant, 

(Signed.) JOHM M. HUGEE. 

Ciiart.es Lee Jom>, esq. 

Mr Jones replied thus: 

Baltimore, Jan. II, l v 
Sir: I fully agree to the proposition made in your note of this date. We will 



6 

therefore consider all the correspondence heretofore passed between Messrs. 

Clingman and Yancey, as withdrawn. 

Most respectfully, your obedient servant, 
(Signed.) CH. LEE JONES. 

Hon. Mr. Huger. 

Mr. Jones, as for Mr. Clingman, then offered the following note: 

Baltimore, Jan. 11, 1845. 
Sir: Understanding that all former correspondence between us has been 
withdrawn, at the suggestion of and with the consent of our respective friends, 
I hope you will now state whether, in making the remarks as published in the 
Globe newspaper, which are understood to have been revised and corrected by 
yourself, you intended any personal disrespect to me, or to cast any reflection 
on my honor or character as a gentleman. 

In reply, I tendered as for Mr. Yancy, the following: 

Baltimore, Jan. 11, 1845. 

Sir: Your letter of the 11th is before me, stating that the former correspon- 
dence between us, at the suggestion of our respective friends, had been with- 
drawn. 

The remarks in reference to yourself, and substantially reported in the Globe 
of the 8th, sprung from, and received their tone, almost entirely from the impu- 
tations cast upon the motives and character of the great body of the Southern 
Representatives in the House of Representativeson the 6th instant, by yourselt. 

The only construction which I, in common with the great body of those gen- 
tlemen, could place upon them, demanded and elicited that portion of mine 
which bore upon you. 

Mr C. will at once perceive that he is not entitled to, and must understand 
me, as refusing to give, any explanation of language elicited by his own impu- 
tations upon the character of my brother Representatives. 

This note not meeting Mr. Jone's view of the case, I asked him to put on pa- 
per, what he would have deemed sufficient ; and he at once wrote down the 
words, as they appear in the following note: 

Baltimore, January 11, 1845. 
Sir: In reply to your note of this date, I have only to say, that the language 
applied to you in my speech, was made in the heat of political debate, and not 
intended to be personal. 

This being entirely inadmissible, nothing seemed left but to tender him the 
note of Mr. Yancey already given— dated 'January 10, 1815, 10 o'clock p m." 

The above corresponden e, passed between Mr. Jones and myself, failing to 
reach the amicable point desired by both, the original was resumed, as 1 have 
intimated, by the delivery of Mr. Y.'s last note, and achallenge from Mr. Cling- 
man to Mr. Yancey followed as a matter of course, in the following words: 

Baltimore, Jan. 11, 1845. 
Sir: Having failed in all my efforts for an amicable adjustment of the diffi- 



oulty between us, nothing remains for me, t>u t to demand of you the latiefae* 
tion usual among gentlemen. 

Your obedient Bervant . 
The lion. Mr. Vanckv. (Signed.) T. L. OLINGMAN 



This challenge was immediately (verbally) accepted) and l informed Mr. 
Jones thai the weapons would be pistols — the distance, ten paces— the time, 
Monday morning at 7 o'clock — the place some spot between Beltsville and the 
District line, near the Washington turnpike, whicb we would more definitely 

locate When we met as seconds to lay Off t lie ground, &C. Mr ■' ones acceded to 
e\ cry thing, but the time ; contending that it was not sufficient tO allow him to 
make his preparations, and reach the ground. He suggested Tuesday morn inn, 
the 14th. I insisted upon Monday : and asked him to name the earliest hour in 
that day, which his convenience would make agreeable. He then named :! 
o'clock, p. m. as the hour; to which I assented. Mr. V. and myself were anx- 
ious for a speedy termination of the affair, and were only prevented from naming 
the next morning, by its being that of Sunday. 



At 6 o'clock p m., Mr. Jones and I agreed upon the following: 

The following rules and articles are agreed upon, to govern a meeting be- 
tween the Hon. Wm, L. Yancey of Alabama, and the Hon. T. L. (Jlingman of 
North Carolina. 

Art 1. Weapons to be used, smooth bore pistols, of the usual duelling length. 

Art. 2. Distance ten paces, (or thirty feet.) 

Art. 3. Pistols to be held perpendicular, the muzzles up or down, At their elec- 
tion. 

Art. 4. The word to be given in a clear, distinct, and /•<»'/ tone, as follows 
"Gentlemen, are you ready: Fire — one— two — three — halt" — at intervals of one 
second each. 

Art. 5. The wind and sun to be equally divided. 

Art. 6. The giving of the word, and the choice of pn.<iii<jn , to be decided by 
the toss of a dollar. 

The one winning may elect - ither, but not both. 

Art. 7. The pistols to be loaded by the seconds with powder and single ball, 
in the presence of all parties. 

Art. 8. Each party will be permitted to have on the ground a surgeon and 
three friends, all of whom must be unarmed. 

Art. 9 The seconds to be armed with pistols, loaded with powder and single 
ball. 

Art 10. The seconds to be permitted to examine the person and dress of 
each principal. 

Art. 11. Neither principal to commence lowering or raising his pistol before 
the word "fire," nor after the word "halt." 



We, the undersigned, seconds, bind ourselves to enforce a strict compliance 
with the foregoing rules and articles. The parties to meet near Beltsville. on 
the Baltimore and Washington turnpike, at 3 o'clock on Monday, January 13. 

(Signed.^ JOHN If. HUGER, 

(Signed.) CII. LEE JONES. 






LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



8 

011 838 596 2 * 

Mr. Yancey, Mr. Buchanan , and myself, left Baltimore that night at 8 o'clock 
in a hack, and drove eighteen miles on the way to the ground. 

Sunday, the 12th. — Most of the day, under assumed names, we passed at a 
way-side tavern. In the afternoon Mr. Buchanan left in the cars for Washing- 
ton ; and a kind friend discovering our real characters, fearing an arrest, ia- 
duced us to turn off the turnpike, and accept his hospitality until the next 
morning. 

Monday, the 13th — At 12 o'clock m. we reached Brown's Hotel, a mile west 
of Beltsville. Mr Jones soon arrived, and in conjunction, a half mile west of 
the house, we selected the ground. I won in the choice, and took the giving of 
the word. 

In the meantime, several of Mr. Yancey's friends arrived from Washington 
— amongst them, besides Mr. Buchanan — Hon. A. Burt, of South Carolina, A. 
B. Meek, esq of Alabama, Hons. J. E Belser, and R. Chapman of Alabama, Dr. 
Gwyn of Mississippi, Dr. Tate of Mississippi, Hon. Mr. Saunders of North 
Carolina. 

After being greatly embarrassed by the appearance of the police, who arrest- 
ed and bound over Messrs. Chapman and Meek, Mr. Yancey and I succeeded in 
escaping by the back door of the tavern, and reached the ground by a tedious 
and circuitous route through the woods and fields on foot. 

As soon as possible preliminaries were arranged, but not soon enough to pre- 
vent the appearance of the police, some four or five of whom came rushing up 
to within a few feet of Mr. Yancey, when, at the word "fire," an ineffectual ex- 
change of shots took place ; and the affair was settled, as set forth in the. fol- 
lowing : 

After a first and ineffectual fire, a consultation followed between the friends 
of the parties ; and upon a suggestion of Hon Mr. Rayner, of North Carolina, 
that Mr. Yancey might now retract his personally offensive remarks applicable 
to Mr. Clingman, Mr. Huger suggested that this difficulty existed: that Mr. 
Yancey considered Mr. Clingman's speech as casting personal and offensive 
imputations upon the Southern Democrats. Upon which Mr. Jones, as Mr. 
Clingman's friend, at once disclaimed such construction, and declared that the 
speech was purely political, and that Mr C. intended no personal imputation upon 
any member of the House of Representatives. 

Whereupon Mr. Yancey made the suggested retraction. 



Beltsville, January 13, 1845. 
Accepted for their respective friends by 

(Signed.) JOHN M. HUGER. 

(Signed.) CHAS. LEE JONES. 

I have written out the above memoranda, while the facts are fully impressed 
upon my memory, and from papei % s in my possession, and for their correctness 
am ready to vouch. 

JOHN M. HUGER, 



